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Study: National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications and Women in Cable Telecommunications Announce Highlights of Joint Industry Diversity Survey

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The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) announced highlights of the 2011NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR Cable Telecommunications Industry Diversity Survey at a town hall held jointly by the associations in New York City in conjunction with the 25th Annual NAMIC Conference and the 2011 WICT Leadership Conference. The study gathered data related to workforce demographics and diversity and inclusion practices from the cable telecommunications industry. The primary methodology for the study was a census survey consisting of 83 quantitative and qualitative questions focused on gender and race/ethnicity, for a variety of job categories. Twenty-five companies completed the survey, representing 54% of the cable telecommunications industry workforce.

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) today announced highlights of the 2011NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR Cable Telecommunications Industry Diversity Survey. Benchmarked data vital to the advancement of ethnic and gender diversity in cable, the results of the NAMIC AIM (Advancement Investment Measurement) and WICT PAR Initiative (Pay Equity, Advancement Opportunities and Resources for Work/Life Support) were announced this morning during a Town Hall Meeting on Diversity. The town hall was held jointly by the associations in New York City in conjunction with the 25th Annual NAMIC Conference and the 2011WICT Leadership Conference.

Funded by TheWalter Kaitz Foundation, and conducted by third-party experts at The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) the NAMIC and WICT study gathered data related to workforce demographics and diversity and inclusion practices from the cable telecommunications industry. The primary methodology for the study was a census survey consisting of 83 quantitative and qualitative questions focused on gender and race/ethnicity, for a variety of job categories. Twenty-five companies completed the survey, representing 54% of the cable telecommunications industry workforce. Fourteen of the company respondents were programmers, eight were multi-system operators, and three companies were either industry suppliers or non-profits.

To assess diversity at the highest leadership levels within the industry, this year's survey measured four specific criteria: the 10% highest paid full-time employees; executive/senior-level officials and managers; first/mid-level officials and managers; and, for the first time, women holding seats on corporate boards. Additionally, workforce demographic data was benchmarked against Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) data for all industries, as well as the telecommunications and information industry. Diversity practices among cable telecommunications organizations were benchmarked against responses from a random sample of SHRM members, a subset of which represented the telecommunications industry. Survey results were compared by programmers and multi-system operators and historical NAMIC (2008) or WICT PAR (2009) data, when applicable.

The study found that cable telecommunications organizations are embracing key diversity practices. Generally, the organizations that participated in this year's survey scored better on key diversity practices compared with SHRM telecommunications industry comparison data. However, when cable telecommunications organizations were compared to similarly sized organizations in SHRM's all-industry comparison data, responses were similar, suggesting that organizational staff size plays a critical role in the scale and sophistication of diversity practices that organizations may employ.

The top five diversity practices employed by cable telecommunications organizations in the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR survey are listed in ranking order as follows:

Recruiting strategies designed to help increase diversity within organizations.

Community outreach tied to diversity, such as links between organizations and educational institutions, government entities, etc.

Leadership development opportunities (e.g., mentoring, coaching) designed to increase diversity in higher-level positions.

A number of advances in the cable telecommunications industry as it relates to race/ethnicity were cited. Although the study showed increases for full-time employees, multi-ethnicity among executive and mid-level management positions is advancing at a slower rate. The study also found that Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanic/Latinos in particular are severely underrepresented relative to their numbers in the general U.S. population. According to the study, representation of people of color on boards of directors remains a challenge with little to no growth occurring since the 2008 NAMIC survey.

"The survey results are indicative of our industry's commitment to fostering greater diversity and inclusion," said Kathy A. Johnson, president, NAMIC. "While the numbers are moving in the right direction, there remain opportunities for NAMIC and industry collaboration to ensure that representation in senior leadership is keeping pace with our nation's demographic shifts."

When reviewing gender-related data, the study showed gains in 2011 for women in a number of positions. Cable telecommunications organizations increased their representation of women executives, board directors and new hires. However, opportunities still remain to ensure pay equity for women. In 2011, a new metric for WICT, the top 10% highest paid employees, was collected, and the results indicated that women comprised only 30% of this category. Additionally, representation of women in digital media positions has decreased.

"We are extremely pleased to see the progress women have made since we last fielded the PAR survey two years ago," said Maria E. Brennan, President & CEO of WICT. "And we look forward to partnering with the industry to continue to seek parity at all levels for women in cable."